Artistic Emotions
by Imperial Mint
Summary: For Destiny Writes. Making a picture is easy, yet producing art is anything but. You need emotion, plenty of it, and that emotion needs to come from somewhere. 'Everyone loses it, Naruto'. ItaNaru


**Summary:**

Making a picture is easy, yet producing art is anything but. You need emotion, plenty of it, and that emotion needs to come from somewhere. 'Everyone loses it, Naruto'. ItaNaru

**Pairings:**

ItaNaru

**Warnings:**

Slight Sakura bashing (not because I don't like her but because I needed someone to fulfill that role), some language (like one word...) and that's about it!

**Dedicated To:**

Destiny Writes!

**Artistic Emotions**

_A sincere artist is not one who makes a faithful attempt to put on to canvas what is in front of him, but one who tries to create something which is, in itself, a living thing._

Naruto watched as the podgy dog waddled up to him and instinctively moved back. His own dog had the same idea and the puppy inched back as the bulky face of the unidentifiable breed inched closer, intent on sniffing Kyuubi's behind before violating her. Most likely, it had happened a lot.

And now the fat mongrel was trying to mount Kyuubi. Could the day have got any better? Naruto sighed and dropped the lead onto the floor, shooing the brute of a dog away from his own. She was only a puppy; just over a year and yet every single male dog they came across tried to have their way with her. Did they do chastity belts for dogs?

He would have booked her in for the operation if not for the fact that he had no money. He wouldn't even have Kyuubi if it hadn't been for his cousin's worry that he was getting lonely up in his 'posh London studio', as she said.

Which he wasn't, thank you Ino. She worried too much for her own good and Naruto knew that the woman would end up with premature wrinkles… not that he'd let her know he thought that, of course. There was nothing scarier than a woman's wrath after all.

Naruto sighed and checked his watch; the time read as three thirty and he stood, preparing to go home and slipped the lead clip onto Kyuubi's collar.

"Come on Kyuu, time to head home."

The russet puppy gave a low whine in acknowledgement before trotting after her master, her little tail wagging as she passed the people in Hyde Park. A few people were out on horses and Naruto smiled as they past, one woman even halting her grey mare to talk to him for a few moments.

"Naruto how are you! It's been ages… you have a puppy!"

Naruto smiled as Temari dismounted her horse – Desert Rose was her official show name but the stable name given was simply Rose – and walked side by side, man leading dog, woman leading horse.

"I heard there's an exhibition for new artists at the National Gallery tonight, I assume you're going?"

Kyuubi pawed at Temari's leg and the blonde haired woman patted the dog on the head, the wrinkles in her skin almost falling over her puppy eyes.

"What type of dog is she?"

Naruto chuckled at Temari's ability to change the subject so quickly and designated himself to answering all of her questions;

"Ino, you know my cousin Ino, gave me the pup as a birthday present. She thought that I would be lonely up here; away from everyone back at Canterbury… you know how she is. She's some sort of mix between a beagle and something else I think. And as for the Gallery showing I'm not sure. I want to go but I don't think I'll be able to make it, plus I have some deadlines to fill."

The horse snorted in indignation and Temari stroked her muzzle absently.

"Well I think you should go. You never know, you might meet someone who wants to make a fancy deal."

Naruto shook his head, "That's not how things work in the art world Temari and you know that. You don't just go to a random observation and get picked up."

Temari raised an eyebrow and Naruto frowned before realising exactly what he had said.

"Oh ha-ha, very funny. I have to get back now anyway, Sakura wanted to talk about something."

Temari's expression grew sympathetic at the mention of the pink haired woman.

"I can't believe you let her just cheat on you like that Naruto, and you still see her? You're a wonder-boy, you know that?"

"I can't just not see her… Her father owns the gallery where a few of my pieces are and I can't just cut all ties, no matter how much I want to. She never liked my art anyway, said it was crap even when we were together. Though I think she was always more interested in that bastard we went to school with, what was his name?"

Temari bit her lip in thought before the name came to her mind in a flash; the dark haired guy Naruto had always been fighting and always been enemies with. A few people back at college had put bets on how long it would take for the pair to get together and her brother, Gaara, had won hands down saying that they never would.

It wasn't a love-hate relationship; it was a hate-hate relationship, even to this day. Sakura had been in love with Sasuke, but friends with Naruto and so, when Naruto had asked her out one night she had accepted and they had dated for a few years. At least until the woman decided to cheat with Rock Lee, a guy who owned a gym corporation. Lee hadn't known Sakura had been involved with someone and apparently she had led him on to believe there was a relationship between them, giving her expensive gifts as well as the sex she apparently needed.

Naruto had made peace with Lee; it was hard to hate someone when they came to your house with ten boxes of chocolates, homemade curry and offered you five years' free gym membership.

Temari bid her farewells, saying that Gaara would get in touch so the three siblings and Naruto could go out one night with a few of their old friends. Naruto waved goodbye and Kyuubi barked happily as the horse trotted off; obviously she hadn't been most pleased with the equine's presence.

Naruto walked through the slightly calmer streets of London until he reached his small apartment, down the back alleys and at the very top of a terraced house. The area was nice, calm and surprisingly peaceful and the neighbours were fair enough.

The year Naruto had moved in, they had all gathered together to throw a party and welcome the 'newcomer'. Once they had found out that Naruto was an artist, they had passed on Naruto's details to Sannin Galleries and the woman Naruto shared the terrace with – for it was split into two houses – informed him that the owners of Sannin were interested in his work and wanted to get back to him.

Of course that would have meant leaving Sakura's gallery and he hadn't wanted that then. Now it was actually a rather good idea…

"Hey Shizune," he called out and Kyuubi barked along with the greeting, running off to find the woman as Naruto slipped the collar off of her neck.

"Back so soon Naruto?" Shizune appeared round the corner, holding a bowl of cake mixture. Naruto smiled gleefully and snuck up to her, finger darting in and out of the creamy mixture and into his mouth before Shizune could stop him. A rap with the wooden spoon on his knuckles made him almost regret the action but he smiled it off.

"I was just wondering if you could do me a favour… you know how you know the owner of Sannin? Could you possibly ask them about me again?"

Shizune raised an eyebrow before placing the bowl on the table at the side and grabbing each side of Naruto's head.

"Thank the lord he's finally asked." She released him and wandered off again, bowl going with her. "I thought that you'd never ask Naruto… now that you mention it, they're both going to be at the Young Artist Open Gallery tonight so I think you better go meet them in person. Dress smartly and call me up before you go so I can give you the once over."

Naruto sighed; first Temari and now Shizune. Apparently the universe wanted him to attend this open gallery so now he had to go. Well, it wouldn't be so bad, he could see what certain people wanted from their art, how other artists his age were doing and now meet with the owners of Sannin.

"Alright then, I'll go!" he all but shouted, causing Kyuubi to come running back into the hall and Shizune to shout out as said dog knocked her over. Naruto ran up the stairs as the black haired woman's voice called threateningly out to him,

"I'll set Iruka on you Naruto!"

Iruka; Shizune's husband, Naruto's friend and somewhat brother figure, and the scariest person alive when he wanted to be. Without saying anything else, Naruto opened the door to his home and studio and shut it after him, wondering what he would wear later that night and completely forgetting the fact he was supposed to meet with one pink haired ex-girlfriend at the café down the road.

_Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep._

"How do I look?"

Naruto came down the stairs feeling like a teenage girl when they reveal their prom dress for the first time in front of family and get ready to go to the 'big dance' that was, in reality, a shitty rundown hall that some resentful spinster had decorated, cursing all the couples to hell, the caterer wished people to get food poisoning and the DJ was a certified murderer in the form of music.

"Ah Naruto!" Shizune had her hands clasped together at her throat, never a good sign for a male who did not want to be hugged, "You look adorable! So smart, so cute and… oh."

Shizune had finally caught the look on Naruto's face and smiled apologetically.

"You look wonderful Naru, I'll watch over Kyuubi and you go land a deal with Tsunade and Jiraiya. Good luck, your taxi's out there already!"

Naruto was literally pushed out of the door and, as the blue painted door closed, he straightened the suit he wore. It was a deep brown, almost black colour with a white shirt and classic-Naruto orange tie. His shoes were shined impeccably and even his hair was in a fashionable sense of disarray. For the first time in his life, Naruto was looking forward to an open gallery.

"National Art Gallery please," he informed the cabbie as he stepped into the black vehicle and the man in the driver's seat nodded with a polite smile.

"You goin' to the op'n gallery ton'gh then?"

Naruto nodded and the man nodded along as he explained what he would be doing. The journey passed in a blur and Naruto even tipped the man as he exited, thanking him for both the conversation and the ride. The cabbie nodded once and maimed tipping his hat before speeding off and looking for more business.

Naruto walked up the path and into the gallery, ignoring the crowd of people milling around the entrance and showing the small ticket that had been delivered to him the week previously. The ticket had cost more than Naruto spent on food in a week but it had to be worth it.

He walked into the foyer, nodding to the suited waiters with champagne and taking one of the small fois gras covered crackers, putting it all in his mouth and promptly choking as the strong flavours engulfed his mouth. Naruto smiled at the man who was carrying the platter as he snickered, no doubt that wouldn't be the first time he did so either.

Naruto walked to the main hall where the Open Gallery would be, usually a conference room, the chairs had been pushed out and the walls mounted with new art. The adjacent rooms had been freed up of their possessions and the displays spilled out of the entrance hall and into them, creating a lovely walk through.

Again, waiters were stationed at various points, platters laden with appetisers and blank faces on. Naruto walked around the gallery, looking around for the clump of people and reporters who would no doubt be surrounding the Sannin Corporation only to find them clumped around a bored looking man with long, dark hair.

Naruto ignored the clumps of people, dodging the crazed bleached blonde woman with the clipboard and microphone. Instead, he opted to looking at the actual artwork instead.

The first piece that craved his attention was a photography montage; famous and notable faces cut up and splayed together. Albert Einstein could be seen, as could Marilyn Monroe, Freddie Mercury, John Cleese and Penelope Cruz. It was odd to see such a random selection of people, some alive, some dead, matched together and paired to someone often of the opposite sex. It was strange, but interesting and that was what art was about.

The next piece was an actual hand produced canvas, red acrylics mixed with blue oil paints, two flowers clashing together, as if being thrown at each other. In the centre were splashes of purple where the two flowers had obviously 'merged' and Naruto's eyes flickered to the title. Open Mind was the name of the canvas and Naruto smiled at the simplicity, the beauty and the skill of the artist.

Naruto continued to mill around, dreaming of what he would put up on these walls if he was given the chance and stalked over to a man carrying around shrimp. There was one left and as he reached for it, his hand knocked into someone else's and the shrimp fell to the ground.

"Excuse me," the waiter muttered, picking up the dirtied shrimp with a napkin in a flourish and vanishing off, presumably to get more shrimp.

"I'm sorry," apologised Naruto and turned to look at the man. The man had a smile on his face and clamped an arm around his shoulders. His shaggy white hair brushed against Naruto and he was surprised to feel that it was quite solid and the realisation that this was Jiraiya of Sannin hit home.

"It's been too long Yondaime, you should have called or something."

Naruto frowned; had Shizune described what he looked like? How embarrassing if the man had his name wrong now… how was he ever going to correct this man?

"Um, well-" better to rip the plaster off now he surmised.

"Come, Tsunade wants to see you again. I still can't believe you just took off like that… she must have been someone special for you to just up and leave!"

Naruto frowned; he hadn't met Tsunade before, but maybe a picture had been shown? And now he had to explain that Sakura was not, in fact, the woman who was special to him… in fact no 'woman' may be special at all.

"Actually-"

"What you're doing at a young artists do is beyond me…. Hey you're not out scouting are you? Damn, the Uchiha's already signed Yondy, so you'll have no luck there."

Uchiha? Was Sasuke here or something? No, a relative maybe then?

"Ah, here we are. She'll be annoyed that there's no shrimp but you know Tsunade!"

Naruto just nodded meekly, deciding to abandon all attempts of telling the truth and choosing just to escape. He could ring Sannin, the man was scary!

"Tsunade! Look who I found!"

Jiraiya's voice literally echoed around the gallery yet no one turned to announce their annoyance at Jiraiya. Maybe it was part of the whole I-am-part-of-the-Sannin gig.

"Jiraiya I- Minato? Is that you? It… can't be!" The woman drew closer and Naruto's eyes fell on her very large cleavage. He swallowed nervously, attempting to back off but Jiraiya held him at the base of his neck. Tsunade seemed to analyse him and her happiness died… finally someone had figured it out!

"Jiraiya… he's not Minato."

The hand around Naruto's neck relaxed and he shrugged the elder man off and glanced into disbelieving eyes.

"What? But look and… he has whiskers… who the hell has whiskers! Are you in a gang kid?"

Naruto shook his head and glanced at the woman who had to be his saviour. She peered into his eyes and waited for him to speak.

"Shizune told me to come here, I didn't want to but she made me go! I can't help it, I'm sorry that I'm like this Yondaime guy… and about the shrimp. I'm sorry I didn't take up your offer the last time and I'm just sorry that –"Naruto took a deep breath and held out his hand, grinning suddenly, "I'm Uzumaki Naruto."

Instead of taking the hand, Tsunade's mouth flew open as her jaw literally dropped. Naruto glanced at Jiraiya, who too had his mouth open.

"Um, well I guess you're still angry and whatnot so I'll just go-" Naruto attempted to slip away smoothly but was caught by the scarily strong woman who pulled him to her chest and, unfortunately for Naruto as he liked breathing, her breasts.

"Little Naruto! My goodness, when Shizune called to say you wanted to work for us the whole office was in a flurry… but then you turned our offer down and there was nothing we could do… please tell me you want to sign with us!? I told Jiraiya - didn't I tell you that little Naruto would always be an artist!"

Naruto's eyes were wide and he tried valiantly to escape from the crazy people but Jiraiya, surprisingly, came to his aid.

"Tsunade… let 'Little Naruto' go, I think he's a bit confused."

Tsunade listened to Jiraiya's request and looked Naruto in the face, which was turning a shade somewhere between purple and blue.

"My goodness, I am so sorry Naruto! And I'm so sorry for this oaf confusing you for Minato-"

"Minato? As in Namikaze Minato?"

Tsunade nodded and Naruto's eyes narrowed to slits. However these weirdoes knew his father, it couldn't be good. Naruto wasn't sure how he hadn't picked up on the fact that they were referring to him by his father's name but he did know one thing; something odd was going on.

"Yes, your father started up as an artist under us. Have you heard of the Hokage? Well, there have been five of them so far, myself included, and your father was the greatest of us… until Kushina entered the picture and little Minato decided that his muse needed her more than pencils."

Tsunade turned to one of the women behind her suddenly and was passed a thick book.

"Here, we generally show this to clients who want to know of our skills but I think you should see this picture. It's the last one Minato painted before he moved and it's titled Family."

Tsunade passed the book to him and Naruto watched as she flipped to the fourth page, a huge picture of the art in place in the centre, taking up the whole page. It was undeniable who the people in the picture were; sketchy drawings of Kushina, Minato and himself – swathed in blankets of a newborn. The baby has his face scrunched up, his thumb buried between his lips and both parents looked down to their baby, a connection between them forged by their interlinked hands.

There was little colour to the painting, in fact the only main colour was the watered down skin tones and hair, starchy white contrasted with speckles of blue to highlight the shadows and yet there was a warm glow surrounding the chubby cheeks of the baby. It was an angelic glow – one that babies did possess in real life – and Naruto marvelled at the skill his father had to paint something so natural.

"It's beautiful… I never knew…"

Tsunade took the book from Naruto's hands softly and smiled.

"There were a few dodgy dealings before Minato cut contacts with us, someone threatening to sue because they believed an old piece was a copyrighted infringement of their own… turns out that it was the other way round so we ended up getting the money they had originally wanted from us but Minato decided to step down, wanting to spend more time with you and your mother."

A slight chuckle from Jiraiya cut through Tsunade's speech,

"There was one good thing that came out of this; the office finally got back to work. Your father used to bring you in every Tuesday and Thursday and the whole office would go crazy for little 'Ruto. You were the office star!"

Naruto joined in the chuckling uncertainly and took one of the shrimp that the waiter passed by with.

"So, how about it Naruto? Fancy joining us back up at Sannin and showing us how you can paint? We looked through your work when Shizune sent it up to us and, as a general rule, we look through the work before the name of the artist. We wanted you even before knowing who you were… what do you say?"

Naruto's eyes widened and he broke into a huge smile.

"When can I start?"

_The artist who paints the emotions creates an enclosed world.. the picture.. which, like a book, has the same interest no matter where it happens to be. Such an artist, we may imagine, spends a great deal of time doing nothing but looking, both around him and inside him._

The days following his meeting with the Sannin bosses passed quickly and it was the moment now to tell Haruno Sakura's father that he would be transferring. He hated having to just tell the man that he was leaving abruptly but there was nothing else he could do. He would not allow his future to be held down because of a relationship he held with his daughter… a relationship that ended when Sakura had cheated and ruined two lives for a while; his and Lee's.

"Good morning sir," he greeted the man as he stepped into the office. As expected, Sakura was lurking at the back of the room and her emerald eyes flickered to his.

"Naruto, how nice of you to show up. I've been meaning to have a talk with you for some while; it has come to my attention that you haven't been concerned for the good of my company for a while now. In fact, you purposefully ignored Sakura's request for a civil lunch and I cannot accept this behaviour from an employee, no matter how well you draw."

Naruto cast his mind back to the day when he had see Temari, the day when he had been accepted under Sannin and the day he had forgotten to meet Sakura in the café. Sakura had her father wrapped round her little finger tightly it seemed.

"I wanted to explain, I-"

"No, Uzumaki, I do not want your explanations. I'm afraid I'm going to have to let you go. If I see you lingering longer than an hour, I will call security. Is that understood?"

In a slight daze, Naruto nodded. At least this way he didn't have to explain where he was going – Tsunade and Jiraiya wanted to keep this at uttermost secrecy until the huge 'unveiling' – but to be fired? Naruto had never been fired in his life and it was a harsh blow.

"Y-yes sir," Naruto proceeded to scuttle out of the door and pack his things in a box that had been conveniently placed on his desk – no doubt by Sakura. Speaking of Sakura…

"It had to be done Naruto," the click of heels alerted Naruto to the closeness of his ex-girlfriend and he nodded absentmindedly.

"At least this way we can recruit some true talent. Do you remember Sasuke-kun from school? Well he's a proper artist and there are rumours that he'll be leaving Sound to merge with us. Can you believe that!?"

Naruto shook his head; although he hadn't heard anything about his mortal enemy, dear Sasuke-kun, he highly doubted that if the man was such a talent then he'd come off his high horse from Sound to merge with a small business like Haruno. It didn't make sense.

On that note, Sound was piloted by Orochimaru. After leaving the Sannin on good terms, Orochimaru had built up a smaller business, mainly dedicated to working on upcoming artists, making sure that their talents weren't wasted and they got the appropriate amount of money for each piece.

Of course, when Orochimaru had taken in the unexpected artist Uchiha Sasuke, Naruto had fumed. They had been to Art College together but Naruto just assumed he was in it for the business, not the actual drawing or creating part. It appeared he had been wrong and Sasuke had definitely become a wonderful artist. Naruto couldn't hold it against him for that.

It was just the way Sasuke carried himself about art; the man hardly seemed motivated. When Jiraiya and Tsunade had talked to Naruto the other day on the phone, they had mentioned that Orochimaru would be there when he went in for the first time, to see what he was like. The conversation had steered onto Sasuke and Naruto discovered that even Orochimaru was concerned at the lack of emotion Sasuke held for art.

Naruto could feel Sakura's eyes on his back all the time until he passed through the doors of Haruno Studios.

Well good riddance, he thought.

_I am rather like a travelling salesman. I deal in ideas. I do much more for people than just paint them pictures._

Naruto walked down the halls nervously, his art folder clutched to his chest and Shizune by his side – as promised. When she had learnt that Naruto was welcomed into Sannin, the first thing Shizune had done was to hug him, phone Iruka – who then stated he would be bringing home dinner for them all tonight – and demand that they go to Sannin together when Naruto started.

And here they were, walking through cream coloured hallways with plush red carpets. Naruto swallowed nervously as people stuck their head out of their offices, no doubt to see what all the fuss was about. After all, it wasn't every day that the three original owners of Sannin got together, as well as a couple of the biggest names in local art.

Yes, that meant Uchiha Sasuke and the mysterious Sai would be heading down to Sannin Studios later. Naruto did not doubt for one minute that Sasuke would arrive with Orochimaru but Sai? He had not had the chance to meet the man but was intrigued; he had heard so many good things about him, and his skill.

"Here we are then Naruto, good luck," Shizune beamed at him and pushed the dark tinted glass door open to reveal Tsunade and Jiraiya. The pair smiled and gestured to one of the seats in the small conference room.

"Would you get some tea and coffee for everyone Shizune?" The black haired woman smiled and nodded, exiting the room to suit the demands.

"Well then Naruto, welcome to Sannin! I see you have your folder there, can I take a look or do you want to save it all?"

Naruto shook his head and passed the folder to Tsunade. The elder pair flitted over to the table and began pulling odd paper works and a book out. Inside of the book were small sketches, finished pieces and works that had yet to be completed. There was also a small photo album at the very bottom that contained pictures of larger works that were impossible to simply bring along.

Tsunade's critical eye scanned through the photographs; many of them were large canvas pictures of people. She recognised Ino and her family seated at the dinner table, looking thoroughly worn out. There was food strewn across the table and on the laughing faces of the table's occupants and she was amazed at how well Naruto had managed to capture the moment.

Flipping through the faces she did not know, she tapped Jiraiya on the arm as an almost painfully familiar pair of faces stood out; Kushina and Minato. The pair was asleep on a sofa, no doubt worn ragged by the very person who had painted them.

"N-Naruto…"

The blond in question looked up, eyes suddenly guarded as he took in the tone. Jiraiya noticed this and chuckled, placing a hand on his head.

"It's alright kid, you're pretty darn amazing. Your art has feeling in it, emotion, and that is more than the likes of Uchiha Sasuke. And do you know how popular Sasuke is? His pieces sell for bucket loads… well they should be here soon; he can tell you then."

Naruto smiled heart-warmingly and thanked the pair. He was about to speak when the door burst open and a long, dark haired man strode in, two people behind him. His eyes scanned the room frantically before spotting Naruto and running over to hug him.

"It's been so long!"

Naruto patted Orochimaru on the back awkwardly and looked at the twin grins on Tsunade and Jiraiya's faces.

"I thought at first it was because Minato found out that I gave you those sweets and he wanted to punish me for not listening to him and then when it went on for more than a week I realised that, no, it couldn't have been the sweets, and that it had to be something deeper. Then I wondered if I had done something to offend Kushina, because Minato loved her and he wouldn't like me being mean – not that I ever am of course – but then I realised that that couldn't be right and-"

"Orochimaru…"

The man broke off and he released a wide eyed Naruto. His mouth closed from speaking and he smiled pleasantly.

"What I meant was, it's good to see you. I'll introduce you to my personal assistant, Yakushi Kabuto, and my top artist Uchiha Sasuke. Kabuto, Sasuke, this was the promising artist I mentioned… what do you call yourself? By your father's or your mother's surname?"

Naruto looked to Tsunade and Jiraiya and Orochimaru looked as if he were weighing the pros and cons in his head. The Uzumaki could feel Sasuke's dark eyes on him and resisted the urge to squirm under the contact.

"Mother's surname. I don't want to be compared to my father until I feel as though I have earned it."

Apparently this was the right thing to say as Orochimaru clapped his hands together and moved forwards, obviously intent on hugging Naruto again, when Jiraiya's voice interrupted the moment.

"As nice as this all is, would you all like to take a seat? Sai should be here in a short while and we'll begin the presentations. Because Naruto is a special case, he'll be serving for both Sannin and Sound."

Naruto's eyes widened; to receive sponsorship from two of the best companies in the whole world was a feat no one had ever thought possible, and all for just him? Orochimaru caught the look in his eyes and smiled.

"It's okay Naruto, this isn't to put any pressure on you. We'll keep your identity a secret – as in give you an alias – for the first couple of months, or however long you want it. This will not only increase the mysterious air around you but it will also take pressure off of you. People will be expecting great things with both of our companies sponsoring you."

Naruto nodded shakily and everyone looked to the door as it opened.

"Sorry I'm a little late, there were some traffic problems."

Naruto smiled to the newcomer as he sat closest to Sasuke. Looking between the two of them, it was clear to see why women's magazines always rated them as ten out of ten. The pair was simply gorgeous, indifferent and mysterious.

"Right, we'll start by looking through Naruto's portfolio here. I want you all to choose your favourite piece and explain why and we'll set up a compilation for a private viewing. If that goes well and people here like the material, Naruto, I'll ask to set up an exhibition that we'll invite upcoming artists to."

The air seemed to leave Naruto's lungs in one surprised motion as he stared blank faced at the people grouped around his folder. They actually wanted to show his art this early on? He thought his paintings were simple paintings, undoubtedly personal but still only half of the quality any of those in a gallery could be expected to hold.

"I like this one."

Surprisingly the person who had spoken had been Sai, and he looked at Naruto whilst pointing to a picture. It was a charcoal rendition of a dream Naruto had once had; a scarecrow sat in the middle of the field with a raven on either arm and a fox peered up at them. It was a rather crude picture yet Naruto had been so sure of the emotions when drawing it – cunning and anticipation – that charcoal had been the only media he felt would bring it out.

The others were still flipping through the book until Sasuke pulled a sheet from it and placed it onto the desk,

"This one."

Naruto almost laughed at the choice; it had been an almost joke of a piece that, if not for sentimental values, he never would have placed in here. It was an oil painting of a large tomato that reflected a grinning face and camera. It was evident that someone was attempting to take a photograph of this tomato and so Naruto had given it a photograph like quality. It had been his first major task – one he had done back in college as a contest between….

"That one, Sasuke-san?"

Sasuke looked up with a wry smile, "Yes, that one Naruto-san."

Naruto resisted the urge to chuckle; when they had been at Art College, one of their contests had been to see who could paint a food related picture and receive the highest mark from the teacher. Sasuke had painted a bowl of ramen with Naruto drowning in it (aptly labelled Dobe in the painting) and Naruto had painted Sasuke's favourite food. The figure in the picture was supposed to be a mix between their art teacher and the photography technician – a bat eyed and crazy haired woman who scowled at everyone.

The pair smiled at each other before looking away; they had been the best of enemies back then and now a friendship was sparked between them upon this.

"I like this one," Tsunade had chosen the picture of the family, the one that she had found literally breathtaking. Naruto nodded, almost as if he'd expected it.

"This one'll do seeing as Tsunade chose that one."

Jiraiya had chosen the large canvas piece that had taken Naruto eight weeks to finish. It was the face of a young man, one that Naruto's mind had supplied, but it was made up of smaller images. Frogs, snails, toads, newts, snakes and various other animals that were thought to be 'nasty' covered his face, darkening in the shadows and lightening for the skin tones.

Naruto smiled, grateful that one of the longest pieces of works he had ever completed had been chosen. Now all that was left was Kabuto and Orochimaru, who were both looking at the book intently.

"This one."

Naruto craned his head to see Kabuto's figure pointed at Naruto's darkest piece. In his opinion at least. In truthfulness it had been inspired by Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets, and was justly names Basilisk. The aforementioned creature was chained to a wall, reflections formed on all sides by water that spilt from whatever was above the prison of the beast.

"Now this one is cute!"

That would be Orochimaru's choice then; a portrait of Kyuubi as a very small pup after she'd just wet herself inside. Naruto had become fascinated at the fact that Kyuubi could piss over the floor and he would still love the little dog. Strange world for pet owners, eh?

Orochimaru's smile brightened as Naruto explained the story behind the picture and demanded that Kyuubi be brought in the next time Naruto was here. Naruto hastily agreed, not wanting to have the possibility of Orochimaru inviting himself round. Now that could turn out to be one embarrassing night.

The private show was selected to be held on the following night and, to maintain the mysterious imagery, Naruto wasn't allowed to go. Upon protestations, Sasuke volunteered to keep 'Naruto-san' occupied and so scheduled them to meet at six PM at a local yet discreet pub.

Naruto couldn't help the smile that crept to his face.

_What I am seeking is not the real and not the unreal but rather the unconscious, the mystery of the instinctive in the human race_

Decked in casual clothing, Naruto opened the door to The Lion's Head. With a quick scan of the busy room, he ducked through other patrons and to the back, where one inconspicuously casual Uchiha sat.

"Hey," he greeted and Sasuke pushed a pint of lager over with a slight smirk. Even after all this time the two still had moments where they remembered the past; Sasuke had once spent a night with Naruto at a bar and the two had actually hit off pretty well.

Of course, the next day brought on a whole onslaught of arguments as Naruto wanted to know why the hell Sasuke was in his apartment, sleeping on his sofa, whilst with a headache.

"It's busy tonight, I think there's a game on or something." Naruto nodded,

"Do they show it in here?" Sasuke shook his head and took a sip of his drink. Naruto shrugged and looked over to the counter, wondering if they sold peanuts.

"I heard about all that stuff with Sakura. I'm just sorry she had to screw someone like you around, you know what I mean?" Naruto shook his head and Sasuke took another sip of his drink.

"Well, you're a nice person. She isn't. When the two of you got together I wanted to scream at you but you never opened your eyes. Why couldn't you have gone for someone nice? Hyuuga Hinata liked you enough."

Naruto, who had been taking a sip of his drink, spluttered and stared at Sasuke as if he'd proclaimed he liked to dance around the town in a pink tutu.

"What the hell do you mean Hyuuga Hinata 'liked me enough'?"

Now it was Sasuke's turn to stare at Naruto as he spoke, "How could you not know she liked you? She would literally asphyxiate in your presence and faint every time you spoke to her!"

Naruto chuckled unexpectedly and shrugged his shoulders, "I guess that was quite a long time ago now though… besides, why are you so concerned about what Sakura did? Is Sasuke in love with me?"

"Yes."

Naruto spat his drink out and stared at Sasuke, looking ready to bolt. Sasuke rolled his eyes and wiped the lager off of his face,

"Of course I don't you idiot. The only person who could love you would have to have serious problems themselves. It's just you're the only person who's managed to get far enough under my skin that I'd actually feel anything. In that respect I guess I think of you as my closest friend."

Naruto, recovering from the shock, felt a smile pull at his face and a warm feeling encircle his body. He knew Sasuke hated speaking about feelings, after all the man had to be emotionally retarded, but hearing those words from someone, especially the guy he used to supposedly hate, was strangely nice.

"Well, close friends get in another round; off you go Sasuke."

Sasuke smiled at Naruto's way of telling him that he felt the same and got up to order another round. Sinking into the chair, Naruto wondered how many other things in his life were going to change now that he had a best friend and job.

_No longer shall I paint interiors with men reading and women knitting. I will paint living people who breathe and feel and suffer and love_

The days following the private exhibition were some of the busiest in all of Naruto's life. Apparently he was a hit and, that very weekend, they wanted to put up a full exhibition. Everyone had been agreement and, this time, Naruto was to go in undercover and mingle.

There were so many factors to equate in; the location – one of the halls at the National Art Gallery, after all Sannin had connections – the decorations, the actual art work… Naruto was ferrying constantly between his home studio and the new one at Sannin.

"Is that the last one?"

Naruto nodded, holding tightly to the canvas he had been asked to bring in as a final change to the art that was going up. Jiraiya took it from him and dismissed him to look over the guest list with Tsunade.

"We have quite a few popular young artists coming in as this is the first full exhibition after the Open Gallery where we met. Orochimaru will be there, as will Jiraiya and myself, yet Sasuke is engaged tonight. He sends his best wishes though and is coming by tomorrow before we take down the exhibition because he apparently wants to know how much you've improved."

Naruto nodded at the information.

"We will, however, have representatives from local business, including Sasuke's family. The Uchihas are very respected throughout the country, world even. Only Sasuke's family are based here though and I think it would be his mother who comes tonight. Uchiha Fugaku is a very busy man and so is Sasuke's brother, their company takes a lot to run. Mikoto is also very fond of art so this would be a perfect evening for her really.

"Make a good impression on them, find out what people think about you, bitch about yourself to them and criticise your paintings. That's the only way you'll get a true impression."

With a glance around them, Tsunade clapped her hands.

"Right, I'll see you this evening. Have a good rest, go find something smart to wear and remember to mingle!"

Naruto nodded and waved as he exited the building, anticipation building in his stomach.

_You're sitting there with your muse and your muse is telling you something and you're following it, and you end up the next day looking at it and thinking "what the hell was the muse saying to me?"_

Naruto stepped inside the hall and his eyes swooped over the art pieces. He was so used to seeing amazing works of art on the walls that it felt to odd to see his own work up. Hiding a smile, he took a glass of champagne from a nearby waiter and walked round the gallery, trying to spot people who could be the ones Tsunade wanted him to mingle with.

After talking to a lot of people, and finding out that people glared at him whenever he would criticise the art, Naruto decided that he wanted a little peace. There was one area of the room where hardly any people were, or at least only one was actually looking at the artwork on the wall.

The piece itself was of a chained Nightingale, a beautiful and sleek bird that was trapped in a cage. A vague outline of a man stood behind the cage and the bird's eyes looked panicked. Naruto wasn't sure why he had specifically asked for this one to be put up when the others thought there had been better pieces but he had, and for some reason he was glad.

The man standing next to him glanced over at him and Naruto smiled.

"What do you think?"

The man looked from Naruto to the painting and smiled softly.

"I think it's the best one here. Not that I don't like the others; this one just seems to call out a little more to me. What's your favourite one?"

Naruto looked around the gallery before replying lightly, "It's not here."

Suddenly Naruto registered what he had said and cursed quietly. He had managed to blow his cover after such a short period of time.

"I gather you are the mysterious artist here then? Well, I'd have to commend you on both your mysterious edge and your artwork. Unlike other popular artists, your art seems to live. And you have such a diverse range; landscapes, portraits and abstract pieces… your talent is unfathomable."

Naruto felt a blush creep onto his cheeks, something that hadn't happened in a very long time. How could this stranger make him feel like a young teen again?

"T-thanks."

Dark eyes met Naruto's and a soft smile crept to the stranger's lips,

"You're very welcome." Checking his watch, he added, "I am sorry, I must go now. It was nice meeting you and I really so think you are an amazing artist. Try not to lose your feelings, many things will try to get in your way yet you mustn't let them."

Naruto watched as the stranger began to leave when he called out for his name.

"Itachi… I'm Itachi."

_For me, painting is a way to forget life. It is a cry in the night, a strangled laugh._

Months passed and Naruto became one of the most popular young artists, rising up to the level of Sasuke and Sai. The three were soon to put on a public exhibition together yet Naruto couldn't find any inspiration. The paints sat in their pots, paintbrushes remained untouched and pencils lay alone and cold.

In a last minute bid to find inspiration – two months before the viewing was scheduled – Naruto returned to Canterbury to see his family. Crossing through the countryside had always given him inspiration but now, as he sat half asleep on the train, the greenery seemed dull and lifeless. It was as if he had lost all feeling in art and this seemed worse to Naruto than anything else; he had secretly pledged to Itachi that he wouldn't and yet what had happened but the very thing.

"I'm home!"

Minato drew Naruto into a tight hug as soon as he walked through the door and Kushina poked her head out from the kitchen.

"Naruto! How is everything up town? How is the art going, I heard you had an exhibition with Sasuke and Sai soon, is everything going well? I remember when Minato had his last show, he got really stressed out. He even threatened to leave you at Sannin where everyone would shower you with attention just so they would stop bothering him."

Naruto lied and said that everything was going well but it wasn't until after dinner that Minato approached him. They sat outside in silence until his father spoke,

"Everyone loses it, Naruto. I look in your eyes now and all I see is worry; worry that you won't be able to get the feelings back." He paused and Naruto continued to stare up at the moon. "Your mother saved the emotions; she was the reason they returned. And return they did, I'm sure Tsunade showed you the picture of us all. Thanks to Kushina, I was able to do that."

Naruto looked at his father and leant against his shoulder with a sigh.

"You say mum was a trigger for your emotions but what about mine? I don't have anyone like that."

Minato stood suddenly, running a hand through Naruto's hair absentmindedly and smiling.

"You'll find someone soon Naruto. How long are you here for? Kakashi and Obito are coming down for a while on holiday and I think Obito's cousin is coming too. He's from London but I've gone and forgotten his name. I think he's a little older than you… maybe he could help, what with living sort of near you."

Naruto shook his head at his father's attempts to take his mind off of the pressing matter and smiled.

"I guess I could see Kakashi and Obito again, it's been a while since I saw them."

Minato smiled, "That's settled then. Come one, your mother will have my skin if you catch a cold."

_I meet the world as it comes, yield superficially to the hustlers, and thus achieve peace of mind. With peace of mind comes a painting._

Thankfully Naruto didn't catch a cold and he ignored the rain as it fell. Minato and Kushina had tried to get him to stay inside but knowing two of his favourite people would be arriving soon proved too much. Kakashi and Obito used to be babysat by Kushina before she had Naruto and they had grown close to the Namikaze-Uzumaki family. Obito hadn't wanted to be in the same business as the rest of his family – the Uchihas – and so had stayed with them for a short while when Naruto was young. Kakashi had followed soon after, saying that Obito was useless on his own and the pair had struck up a-not-so-secret relationship.

"Naruto!"

A second later, Naruto was knocked to the ground by a black and orange blur. Like Obito, Naruto preferred to wear orange clothes and, like Obito, Naruto often got told to dim it down. The result? The pair of them looked like orange and black striped animals as they rolled around on the ground. Kakashi stood nearby with Obito's cousin, both watching with amusement.

When the pair finally stopped, Minato, Kushina, Kakashi and Obito's cousin had gone inside the house and so the final pair walked in sheepishly. Naruto chuckled nervously as he looked to Minato – who had one eyebrow raised – and Obito slung an arm round Naruto's shoulders.

"Naruto meet my cousin Itachi. Itachi meet Naruto. Naruto's an artist, Itachi's a secret artist. Go make some art!"

Obito's cheer at the end made even Naruto wince and he looked over to Itachi, wondering if it could possibly be the same person. Dark eyed and a slight smirk alerted Naruto that is really was the same person and he smiled.

"It's a pleasure to meet you again Itachi-san but, if you don't mind me asking, why are you a secret-artist?"

Itachi opened his mouth to speak yet another voice came out.

"Because Fugaku is a boring twat of a man who only accepts Sasuke as an artist because he earns lots of money and doesn't think that Itachi could do the same. Yet the old fungus hasn't even seen Itachi's work and I must say it beats Sasuke's… like everything Itachi does…"

Itachi sighed and nodded. Although he hated his personal life being spewed out in such a manner, this was Obito, and this was classic Obito behaviour. Having been shunned by his uncle after his parents died, Obito had decided to run away at the age of fifteen, taking a thirteen year old Itachi along for the run. Fugaku had been furious when they returned and forbade Itachi from doing anything other than what he wanted.

Dinner concluded and the trio went to bed; Obito and Kakashi sharing the spare room and Naruto sharing his with Itachi. After watching the Uchiha sleep peacefully, Naruto's expression became thoughtful and he exited the room.

Light dawned over the studio where one blond lay asleep next to a painting of a nightingale; asleep yet so alive.

_I am a night painter, so when I come into the studio the next morning the delirium is over. I come into the studio very fearfully, I creep in to see what happened the night before. And the feeling is one of, "My God, did I do that?"_

Two weeks passed and, with it, the art collection Naruto had taken to painting at night grew. The count now stood at eight large canvases, three paper drawings and hundreds of little sketches. Each of the pictures showed the progression of the nightingale, the one from the very first time he met Itachi, as it escaped from the prison and freedom. The final picture showed the bird on the top of a rose bush, beak open and singing for a nearby mate. The emotions that Naruto had tried to convey seemed to have got stuck in the paint, bringing the painting to life for real.

After his signature was scrawled on the bottom of the last painting, Naruto collapsed on his desk and fell asleep. When he woke, the sun was fully up and he smiled as he remembered the finished task.

"They're wonderful."

Naruto jumped and looked around to see Itachi standing with a cup of tea and a biscuit in his hand.

"I just came up here; I didn't mean to wake you. Kushina was concerned that you might not be getting enough to eat as we haven't seen you for a while but now I understand the cause." As an afterthought he added, "They're lovely."

Naruto shifted uncomfortably as Itachi reached out to put the cup, saucer and rich tea biscuit on the desk. Just as the Uchiha was about to leave, Naruto spoke,

"I should really thank you. You… You're the nightingale."

Although he knew that sounded corny, it was true. Itachi had been his hidden inspiration and if he let the man go now, who knows what would happen.

"Me?" Itachi's face was startled as his hand left the doorknob. Naruto nodded and stood up, taking a step towards Itachi. The elder remained still as Naruto walked up to him and looked straight into his eye.

"I don't know what it is about you, I saw you at the gallery and something woke in me. It ate away my emotion to paint and yet you come here and I paint all of this in only two weeks. Do you know any magic or something? To have cast a spell over me would make sense but there is no magic…"

Naruto looked away and was about to back off when Itachi grabbed his wrist and swapped their positions, pressing his lips upon Naruto's. Naruto's eyes widened and he looked in shock as Itachi pulled away.

"I don't think I shall let you go, Naruto."

Naruto smiled as he noticed the slight curve of Itachi's lips, the crinkles that were almost invisible at the corner of his eyes and his cheeks tightening as the muscles pulled the smile upwards. He rested his head against Itachi's chest for a moment before sighing heavily.

"Will any of your family accept this?" As Itachi stiffened, Naruto knew that they wouldn't and pulled away with a mournful smile. He made to return to the desk, pushing past Itachi, yet found dark eyes staring into his earnestly.

"It doesn't matter anyway; the reason I'm here with Obito is because Fugaku officially disowned me. I don't wish to run a business that I have no love for and so forsook his meeting in favour for your gallery. Things were only finalised recently and another cousin of mine, Madara, is to take over in my place as Sasuke already has a name for himself."

Naruto's eyes were wide and he hugged Itachi suddenly, whispering that he was sorry. Itachi replied that it wasn't his fault yet the Uzumaki's answer shocked him;

"It's not that; I would have made a gallery sooner if that was what it took to free you." He chuckled, "You really are the nightingale Itachi."

With one final kiss, the pair went back to the table where lunch would be served soon, hands never unlocking.

_An artist is not paid for his labor but for his vision._

It was the night of the exhibition and everything had gone beautifully well; Naruto had sold six of the nightingale pieces, opting to keep the last two (of the bird escaping and calling for a mate) for himself and earned a lot of money in doing so. Sasuke had been pleased to see Itachi accompanying his best friend and wished them well for the future.

At some point during the evening, Sai had decided that he wanted to add a few more pieces to the hall, calling for Sasuke, Naruto and, by proxy, Itachi to help him. It had ended in laughter as Sai had revealed these new 'masterpieces' to be school boy scrawls that he had collected via snooping. The group laughed over previous attempts at art – the cute from age 2-10 and the downright dirty 12 plus - before returning to their company.

The night ended with Itachi inviting Naruto over for coffee and then saying goodbye to the others, including the three Sannin, who were off to their local pub. The drive to Itachi's house wasn't too long, ten to fifteen minutes at the most, and Naruto smiled at the décor as they entered. The house screamed artist (well, for another artist) and managed to look sophisticated, warm and friendly all at the same time.

As they walked down the hall, one piece on the wall caught Naruto's attention. It was a canvas from such a long time ago; two flowers, one red and one blue, with purple splashed in the centre…

"Itachi, did you… did you paint this?"

Itachi's head returned round the corner and his eyes flickered between the canvas and Naruto.

"It's one of my early works I guess, I have another one I wish to show you, follow me."

Naruto left the original flower work and followed Itachi. They walked through the kitchen and to a small conservatory-come-studio. There were various sized works over the table and stacked on shelves yet only one picture hung; a fox sleeping with a weasel curled up against him.

That night, after they had both made dinner, Naruto curled up in bed beside Itachi and smiled as the Uchiha wrapped his arms around him as if it was the most natural thing position they could sleep in.

_Artists today think of everything they do as a work of art. It is important to forget about what you are doing.. then a work of art may happen._

**Notes:**

Well this took a while to do... I hope you like it Dei-chan!

:) Reviews are always appreciated, thank you for reading.


End file.
